Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.

Interview: Gabriel Iglesias – The Fluffy Movie

Stand up comic Gabriel Iglesias dipped is starring in his debut feature film, The Fluffy Movie. Gabriel sat down to talk about how The Fluffy Movie came about, breaking into new markets, and what he’s learned from the WWE.

What made you decide to make a feature film?

Gabriel Iglesias: I didn’t. I was okay doing Comedy Central. Comedy Central is my home and has been my home. I got approached by Gulfstream Pictures – they recently released Adam Sandler’s movie Blended. They said, “Kevin Hart put out two comedy concert films, they cost very little to make, and grossed millions. We see that you and Kevin have very similar numbers on social media, we could do a comedy concert film with your fan base.” When they asked if I was interested, I was really excited, but they asked me two weeks before I taped my last special, Aloha Fluffy, for Comedy Central. They were thinking I would film a new special in a year [laughs]. People think comedy specials appear out of thin air. I was reluctant to say yes because I was going to be given a big platform and didn’t want to put out a bad show. I wanted to make sure it’s the best material I had and make people want to watch it in theaters rather than staying home and watching it on cable. Once we did Aloha Fluffy, I retired all that material and went out and started doing shows. I had to do follow-up meetings with Gulfstream Pictures to see what direction we would go in. and that’s when I started venting on stage. The movie is very personal. I go in-depth with stories about my son, how’s he’s technically my stepson, and how the relationship is back-and-forth. I talk about how my dad showed up after 30 years of being M.I.A and how my stepson’s dad showed up after 7 years of not being around. It’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions. It’s a comedy concert film, but it gets really deep at one point. I met with Gulfstream again and said, “I think I should have something by the end of the year.” Next thing I know, we’re in an arena instead of theater and we had 18,000 people come out.

You’re a big wrestling fan. What have you borrowed from wrestling that you’ve used in your show?

GI: A lot. Vince McMahon, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated geniuses in entertainment. He puts out an amazing product. He pays attention to the details that other people don’t. If you look at [WWE’s] DVDs, from the packaging to the content, he never puts out garbage. He would rather lose money on product that looks good than save a buck. I’ve always applied that to what I do. Whenever I do specials, I never use generic music. I always get real music, which requires me to spend money, I always shoot in high definition, and I make sure I get the best union guys. Everyone thinks Vince is home on Monday nights but he works as hard now as he did back then. He’s at every single taping and is behind the scenes watching everything. You have to be involved. You can’t depend on anybody else. If something goes bad I want to know my hands were involved with it 100% and I’m not going to blame anybody else but me. Since we shot a concert film in a theater we had to make sure it looked big. The stage had to be huge, numbers had to be huge, and the performance had to be over the top.

It’s like the difference between Wrestlemania and a house show.

GI: For me, [The Fluffy Movie] was my Wrestlemania. All the products and the merchandising I do are very much in the WWE model. My live shows are always big. I have big screens and stuff all over stage. It’s not just a curtain and a mic.

You’ve been doing comedy for 17 years and the internet has changed a lot of things. How did you embrace using the internet?

GI: A lot of comics keep that old school mentality that all you have to worry about is being funny. That’s not the case. There are a lot of funny, broke, and unsatisfied comics out there. You have to be involved in all your business, not just what happens on stage, but what happens off stage. You have to be involved in the promotion. You have to be involved in making sure the bookings make sense. You have to be involved in the support acts that are with you. You have to make the right decisions on how you put yourself out there. Certain things you say “Yes” to, other things you say “No” to. I get offers for films all the time. I don’t care if they offer me a lot of money, but how are people going to view me after I do this? You can’t always look at the money upfront. Most comics want to see that instant cash whereas I’d rather take a loss or break even if it means and know that it will benefit me later on.

I heard you on Marc Maron’s podcast talking about playing new markets and how you lose money..

GI: You lose money. Most guys are comfortable just going to the markets where they make money. You have to take chances. If you want to get to a better place, you have to realize you’re a fish out of water and re-pay your dues in certain areas. For example, the first time I went to Norway they told me I’d make a couple of bucks. The next time I go back, I played an arena. How did that happen? When I went the first time word spread around, especially in a market that doesn’t have a lot of American entertainment, so it became a big deal.

I’ve seen a lot of comics about the fear of YouTube like unfinished bits being uploaded. The flip side is if I’m in Norway I can click on a YouTube page and see a comic is funny and recognize them when they come to town.

GI: With YouTube it’s a double edged sword, it does help, but it is bad when you’re working on a bit. Whenever somebody takes one of my specials and uploads it on one of their channels, I don’t get mad. What I do is post that person’s page and say, “I can’t believe that guy posted my one hour special for free for people to see. I hope nobody watches it because it will be the worst thing ever. Winky face.” It’s promo. I’d rather just get it out there.

If The Fluffy Movie is your Wrestlemania, what’s next?

GI: I wish I could say I knew what was next. I never try to plan that far ahead because you never know what’s going to happen. You never know what’s going to happen with the internet, YouTube, Hulu, and all these other things. I would definitely like to keep doing stand up. That’s my number one priority. Making a film is hard, promoting films is harder. I’ve gotten very little sleep and very little time at home. As a comic, I’m already barley at home. This is the next level. I’ve been in 10 states in two weeks doing every type of interview you can think of. I’m basically tired of myself and I don’t like that feeling. I give credit to all the actors who do this because it’s very hard work. My passion is standup comedy and it’s what I love to do and that’s why I’ve given everything I’ve got to make sure this film is a success.

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.